Chapter 6 - Serena Said She Was Trying To Make Nora “Stronger”
I confronted Serena with the footage.
No Nora present.
No shouting.
No physical confrontation.
I needed answers.
Serena sat across from me in the library with her arms folded.
“I was trying to stop dependence.”
“On prescribed medicine?”
“On panic behavior.”
“She has asthma.”
“She also has anxiety.”
“Those are not mutually exclusive.”
“She uses breathing symptoms to control situations.”
“She is eight.”
Serena rolled her eyes.
That gesture nearly ended the conversation immediately.
Instead, I asked:
“Why did you kick the device away yesterday?”
“She was performing.”
“She said she couldn’t breathe.”
“She always says that when she wants attention.”
I stared at her.
“What evidence do you have that she was faking?”
Serena looked annoyed.
“I live with her.”
“So do I.”
“No, Gavin. You visit between meetings.”
That hit because part of it was true.
She saw the opening and continued.
“I’m the one dealing with meltdowns. Bedtime. School complaints. Crying. You swoop in and comfort her, and I’m left teaching boundaries.”
There it was.
Resentment.
Not of the condition.
Of caregiving.
She believed Nora’s needs were privileges Nora had learned to manipulate.
“I was making her stronger,” Serena said.
“No.”
My voice came out quieter than expected.
“You were teaching her that being sick makes her inconvenient.”
Serena looked away.
That was the first moment I knew our marriage was probably over.
Not because she had made a mistake.
May you like
Because she still believed the underlying idea was right.
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